Dragon's Scales
by Naruto-junky
Summary: Desperate to get away from the press, Harry ships out to the Dragon Gates. There he finds a shocking surprise and a shocking love. WARNINGS: slash, Au, OOC, mentions of sex, there might be more. CW/HP


Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. No copy right infringement was intended. All things recognizable as Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling. All original characters and plot devices/themes belong to me. Yada Yada.

Dragon's Scales

I was in love, and it was a problem. It was the sad truth, love is supposed to be about happy carefree things, but I was the Boy-Who-Lived. And the savior of the magical world was not supposed to be lusting after male red-head Dragon tamers! I was meant to find a nice young pureblood (preferably Ginny) and move into a fairly big manor home and have scads of babies. And if I didn't marry Ginny then any other woman from the Light side would do, heck even some of the Dark sided women were okay, but Harry James Potter, Boy-Who-Lived, The Chosen One, Man-Who-Defeated-You-Know-Who was not, under any circumstances, supposed to fall in love with Charlie Weasley…

It had started after the fall of Voldemort. The media would not leave me alone, and all the girls who I had turned down were coming out of the wood work as they had the impression that with less on my mind I would now date them. I was living with the Weasleys until I could find a place of my own and Molly would not stop pushing me and her only daughter together, not that Ginny was objecting. She was encouraging the wedding plans.

I went to talk to Fred and George, the twins weren't serious very often but when it came to their little brother they could sober up a touch.

"Well, it seems like you need to get far, far away from here," said George as he worked his way around the back room.

"Nah, really? I didn't think about that!" I shot back with a heavy dose of sarcasm.

"Plus it has to be a place where you coming into your inheritance isn't noticed; Potters have been known to have traces of magical beings in their blood. You might on the off chance come into something more than just a power boost," Fred added from the door way, no one was in he shop at the moment so he didn't have to be at the till.

"What are the chances of that happening?" I asked carelessly. The twins looked at him with a disbelieving stare. Okay, so as Harry Potter the chance of that happening where considerably higher.

"Maybe he could go and stay with Bill for awhile? It's not that bad there," suggested Fred randomly. Egypt was on a whole different continent after all.

"Yeah, but what about Fleur and all the people from the bank going back and forth between the branches? They might see him and they'd jump on the chance," countered George who stopped moving boxes long enough to look at Fred. His brother nodded and they lapsed into silence briefly.

"Charlie!" the twins exclaimed together.

"It's perfect! No one around but the handlers and Dragons for miles and the Head Keeper can put a silencing spell on the subject of you being there to those who don't already know! It's perfect!" they repeated with large grins.

"Yes, but will he take me in?" I asked skeptically, staring at the grinning boys.

"Of course he will! He would love to! You kidding?" they assured him over and over. I wasn't sure I believed them.

**.:(p):.**

Romania was beautiful. I had taken a portkey to a small pub half way to the Dragon Gates, the entrance to the reserve. Charlie would meet me there the next morning, he had out in a reservation under the name of his boss, Todd Ackers. A quick glamour based on a good picture added truth to the story. It took all of three seconds from the time my head hit the pillow and my glasses were off to fall into a deep fitful sleep.

When the sun came up the next morning, it woke me instantly. That and the quiet knocking on the door.

"Whoisit?" I mumbled in one word, certainly not loud enough for the person on the other side of a thick heavy oak door to hear me.

"It's Charlie, boss," said the red-head on the other side of the wall. There must be some else in the hallway for him to say that. Then again, Ackers was well known as a Keeper in this area.

"Coming," I mumbled a tad louder, if he heard me the first time, he would hear me again. It took me a few minutes to stumble my way into a new pair of jeans and a button down top. I looked at the picture one last time and then into the mirror. The glamour was still holding up well enough. Even the curse scar and my eyes were still a nearly black brown. So with that I stumbled over to the door and yanked it open.

And there stood the _most_ gorgeous man I had ever seen. The perfect incarnation of all my wet dreams and more.

The muscle's in his chest shown through his tight red t-shirt, which melted into loose jeans that fairly hung off his hips, only supported by a worn leather belt. Charlie was a bit more stocky than his lanky brothers, but he was just as amazing. In my mind's eye I could just see him without a top; pectorals and abs glistening lightly with sweat… sparse trail of hair dipping towards-

"Are you okay?" Charlie asked, waving his hand in front of my face with confusion.

"Um… I'm fine. Just a little tired," I mumbled in awe.

"You ready to go? We have to be back soon," he answered back, not noticing my staring. I nodded dumbly. He reached around me to grab my bag before he took off down the hall. I was following close behind and we reached the Apparition Point. I had yet to reach 17 so I couldn't apparate alone. It was an indescribable feeling to be pulled tight against the other man's side.

**.:(p):.**

I had thought that Romania was beautiful, but the preserve was even more wonderful than I could imagine. It was warm and sunny, the peaks barely tipped with snow. Closer to the entrance was a encampment filled with large navy green tents. Milling about were several men and women in jeans and dragon hide boots, Charlie grabbed my hand and gently pulled me around the outskirts of the camp to tent at what appeared to be the point of the site, inside was a desk and a man behind it.

"You must be Harry," said the man I assumed to be Todd Ackers. I reached out to shake his hand, then reached for my wand and vanished the glamour.

"Thank you for letting me come," I said as I pulled my bag more over my shoulder.

"More than welcome, though I do have to ask you one question," Mr. Ackers said as we all took a seat.

"Ask away."

"We are a little short handed, do you feel comfortable taking a couple shifts in the nursery?"

I smiled, "Absolutely! I'll go stir crazy if I don't do something!"

Charlie and Todd smiled. A few pleasantries later, Charlie and I left for our tent.

"And this is where we bunk. Go ahead and get some sleep. Tomorrow, is the start of hell," Charlie said with a devilish grin before peeling his tee off and kicking of his boots, then promptly slumping on to his cot and passing out. I stared a few seconds before doing as he did: yanking off the shirt and boots, slipping under the blankets before wiggling out of my jeans. I was going to have a long day tomorrow.

**.:(p):.**

"Ye-ouch!" I yelped as I tried to put out the small puff of flames that was on my sleeve as a result of playing with a Ridgeback. Charlie was smirking and I heard laughter all around me. Even Cecile, the dragon who I had been playing with, was 'laughing'. _Siss-Siss-Siss. _I smiled good-naturedly and went back to playing with the little group of Ridgebacks that had gathered around the us. _You're all little scaled brats! _I teased them in Parseltongue, not expecting them to understand me.

_Are not! _They chorused. I jumped back, shocked. Dragons spoke the snake language. Though I should have suspected. They were reptiles after all.

_You're a speaker? _asked Belinda, the only female still in the nursery. I nodded, dumbfounded that she was talking to me.

_Why do you smell like your in heat?_ asked Cari. I cocked my head in confusion, why would I smell like I was in heat? And, even if I was, why would it register to a dragon?

_What do you mean? _I asked them, needing a clarification.

_You smell like Tia. _Cecile said, jerking his snout in the direction of the only female on the reserve that was in heat at the time. I sat down hard. Why would I smell like Tia? No human should ever smell like Tia, more so when she was in heat. I shook myself, and went back to play with the little Ridgebacks. I could sort this all out tomorrow.

**.:(p):.**

"So, did you have fun today?" Charlie asked from his cot as he lounged.

"Yeah, I found out a lot that I doubt even you know!" I teased.

"Oh, really?"

"Absolutely! Cecile likes deer meat better than the beef you guys give him. Belinda has a major crush on Tanis. Oh, and Cari can count to a hundred," I listed off from the random facts that I had gathered today as I talked and played with the Ridgebacks.

"And just how do you know all this?" Charlie asked.

"Dragon's speak Parseltongue," I said offhandedly, rolling over and pretending to be asleep, biting my lip to keep from giggling.

"You- Wha- Ya mean?" he spluttered, trying to make sense of the fact that Dragon's talked snake language.

I rolled back over to talk to him, "Yeah, dragons speak Parseltongue. I didn't believe it at first myself."

"You are something else, you know that?" he murmured and closed his eyes. I followed suit and drifted off to sleep.

**.:(p):. **

It was midnight when the pain began. It was a bit uncomfortable at first, then it was enough to wake me. Pain shot up and down my spine and my shoulder blades ached with a fierce pain of pins and needles stabbing into them.

I bit my lips long enough to realize that it was the day of my inheritance, before I let loose a bloodcurdling scream.

Charlie jolted up out of bed and was by my side in seconds. I knew he was talking but his words never reached my ears. I was in too much pain to think straight. When I started to convulse he straddled my chest and held down my shoulders. Charlie was shouting franticly now, and the faint sound of other voices entering out tent. This was _my_ nest, and Charlie was _my _mate.

With a surge, I was up and hissing. Charlie had been thrown off me and was laying, shocked, behind me; unseen as my leathery wings had spread out and wavered slightly in the air.

_Back! _I hissed at the lot of wizards standing shocked in front of me, _Back! BACK! _When they didn't move, I lashed out at them, swiping at them. Then they started to cast stunners. Surprisingly the rolled off my skin and were flung back at them. Eventually they all came to the end of their own spells.

I whirled around and hovered over Charlie. I watched him as he took in the scales that covered my bare arms and the tops of my hands. My eyes were slit like a cat's and thin leathery wings protruded from my spine, the muscles in the wings fused to the ones in my shoulder blades. Claws replaced my chewed nails.

He stared up into my eyes and I saw the wonderment, curiosity, and fear. I hated to see fear in Charlie's eyes, most of all when it was me he was afraid of. I gently leaned in so that my face was hovering less than an inch over his. I closed my eyes and ran my nose along the side of his, nuzzling.

A purr rose from my throat when he slowly started to relax, it got even deeper when he leaned against me. The danger had passed, the idiots who had been casting spells near _my_ mate were stunned, and I knew that he couldn't understand Parseltongue. I supposed that changing back wouldn't be such a harm.

**.:(p):.**

Slowly, the scales melted from my skin, leaving pale, ghost like flesh in it's wake. My eyes reverted to normal; the wings on my back pulled in, two red welts the only evidence of their being. The claws dulled back into the ragged nails they had been before.

I was suddenly exhausted, and sagged against Charlie before passing out in his arms.

**.:(w):.**

I gasped as Harry sagged against me. What. The. HELL! Then it hit me, it was Harry's inheritance, and Fred and George had warned him that something beside the power boost might surface. But nothing like this. I ran my hands over his back, gently moving over the scars that covered his back now.

I thought back to how he reacted, he had been protecting me? Why would that be? Sure the other keepers were throwing spells… Oh. I was dumb. Harry's creature thought they were shooting spells at me, so he tried to protect me.

I kept stroking his arms and back as I thought about this news. Harry was mine… And I was his… Well, I certainly wasn't opposed to the idea of being with Harry, in fact I was more than a little attached to the idea.

But Harry deserved better than what I was able to give him. There wasn't anything that I could give him, that he couldn't find better elsewhere. I lived on a Dragon Reserve, and made very little if you really considered what I did every day. I lived in a tent, with dirt floors and a cot that was extremely uncomfortable even with added charms. None of the people that Harry might consider family lived in the area. He had nothing for him. And Harry deserved the Moon and the Sun and the stars.

**.:(p):.**

The dawn came to show several people several things. The other Dragon Tamers had awoke from the stunners to find Harry and Charlie wrapped around each other in a protective embrace; it was hard to tell who was protecting and who was being protected.

Charlie woke to find Harry clutching him too tight. In a good way of course. He was holding on to his arms so tightly that he couldn't move them, and his legs were twisted around his so tightly that he those were slowly beginning to numb.

Todd Ackers had been called in by the tamers and realized just _what_ Harry had become and left the tent smiling. He waved off the concerns of the scared people surrounding the tent. He told them to go back to work; everything was going to be fine.

I had been awake through most of this, it all taking place over maybe ten minutes. I waited another few minutes to make sure that no one else was going to barge in, before unwinding my arms and legs from Charlie, gently pressing my lips to his. I smiled when he kissed me back.

"Harry… what happened last night? You were screaming, and then you threw yourself in front of me… did you know about this?" Charlie asked bewildered. He knew that Potter's often had humanoid creatures in the line. But they were often vampires or werewolves or elves. Nothing like last night.

"I have no clue what I am. Remember when I told you that Dragons speak Parseltongue? One of them asked why I smelled like Tia," I told him.

"You're a Drak," came a voice from the door way. "It's a humanoid dragon, no one really wants to think how _those_ genes came about, but they did. They have no destined mate, but their dragon side usually picks someone that the person is really close to… or in love with," Said Todd from the entrance. He winked at the two of them before he tossed a book on to one of the cots, before whistling as he exited. Charlie and I turned to each other before we both blushed. I knew I was in love with Charlie, had been at first sight.

I mustered up what courage I had and practically attacked the man I was sitting with. One second I was sitting and the next I was in his lap, my hands tangled in his hair. Our lips were moving together and it was hard to know who was moaning when. His hands reached and grasped at my back and ass.

I pulled back and gasped for breath. We smiled at each other and dived back in.

**.:(p):.**

An hour later, we were ensconced in the blankets from the cots. Both of us had goofy grins on our faces… Charlie was a _brilliant _man…. Lots of stamina.

"So… think you could stand having me around for… well ever?" I asked him, not looking at his face for fear of what I might see there.

"I don't know… Can you stand me?" he replied. I realized what he was implying and turned in his lap to plant a kiss on him. He pulled back and grinned at me before whispering the words I wanted to hear the most.

"I love you…"

**A/N: I finally finished it! TalaDentro here is the one-shot you were promised. It got a bit our of hand and so I edited down a bit. This has to be the longest one-shot I've ever written, and possibly ever will. I hope you love it. **


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